With the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, access to justice for the domestic violence survivors was exacerbated when the Government of Bangladesh imposed a lockdown on 26 March 2020 to prevent the spread of the infection. Redress for violence became challenging with courts and legal aid offices being closed and frontline services suspended. Although some legal aid service providers adopted virtual and tele-based solutions to tackle the needs of domestic violence survivors, women experiencing domestic violence were constrained by the COVID-induced restrictions while accessing justice. BIGD carried out research with the objective of exploring the experiences of women in seeking justice against domestic violence at different levels, such as their families, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the formal justice system, during COVID and the types of remedies they were able to obtain. This research is based on 12 in-depth case studies of women experiencing domestic violence who sought assistance from either the Bangladesh Legal Aid Services and Trust (BLAST), BRAC Human Rights and Legal Aid Services (HRLS) program, or RDRS Bangladesh during or before COVID restrictions. Women interviewed had experienced multiple types of domestic violence, namely physical, psychological, economic, sexual, and cyber abuse. All the respondents attempted to access a combination of formal and informal justice options, such as mediation and redress offered by family, community, NGO, and state-level institutions such as police, hospitals, and courts. The study also found that most of the women were dissatisfied with the outcomes of the justice-seeking process. Most respondents were not able to sustain their marriages despite their multiple attempts to do so.
Authors: Sultan, Maheen, Akter, Marufa; Mahpara, Pragyna; Pabony, Nuha Annoor; Tasnin, Fariha
Type: Report
Year: 2021
